Baan Na Non

So I was wrong about getting more attached to the Nursing College, so CCS set it up for me to go to another Day Care. When I got there, I saw immediately that they needed more help then the Nursing College. It was the first time that I could compare Tanzania’s stupendous qualities to Thailand. It was the first time that the kids were fighting over holding my hand and wanting piggy back rides. There are three teachers and about 50 kids. There also aren’t any nurses that come in everyday. The kids are a little bit older, so there is not as much crying, but it is still a lot of work.

Emma, Corey, and Jessica like the nursing college better so they went back there, but I stayed here and one of the people that work at CCS, named Op, comes with me everyday to help me with the language barrier. Normally when we get there, the kids are watching an interactive DVD that they dance to. I do a few flashcards with animals on them and them we sing songs and play games. The songs that we normally sing are Mr. Clown; The Itsy, Bitsy Spider; Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes; Five Little Ducks; The Hokey Pokey; and The Wheels on the Bus. Today I taught them a variation of Duck, Duck, Goose. In Thai it is Pet, Pet, Nok. It took a little while to get the message across, but then they ended up loving it. In Thailand your head it the holiest part of your body so it is rude to touch it. You are allowed to touch young children’s heads but there were teachers playing to. I forgot about this rule so the children started touching their teachers heads. I felt really bad. I then taught it again, but told them to touch their shoulders instead. When I first got there, I had the idea of making them a tree with all of their names as leaves, but then I made them little paper frogs and they loved them. I changed my idea to making a pond with frogs and lily pads on it. They each drew a picture and then I made origami frogs with the pictures that they drew and put them on blue poster board. When I brought it in, they took down one of their posters and replaced it with the one that I made. I was so happy. Everyday I also help them serve lunch. They are always so cute when they eat and I am so happy that they changed my placement. They let me do things with them and play games with them that they seem to enjoy. I am so grateful that Thailand is starting to form into the experience that I was hoping it would be.